Teachers are pivotal in school improvement efforts. One of the great
hopes of charter school advocates is that charter schooling will free good
teachers from administrative and bureaucratic handcuffs. How do teachers feel about the reforms bandied about in Arizona? In particular, how
do they feel about choice-based reforms relative to other kinds of school
reform? Further, what explains why different teachers support or oppose
various proposed reforms? These are the questions we will explore in this
chapter.

Education researchers agree that the success of school reform depends
largely on the teachers charged with implementing the changes in classrooms. Historically, reforms lacking the support of personnel in the
classroom core have seldom managed to improve schools ( Sarason 1991, 1996). Consequently, among the keys to improving teaching and learning
are increasing faculty commitment, cultivating teacher expertise, and attracting and retaining committed faculty ( Elmore et al. 1996; Fullan 1991; Johnson and
Pajares 1996; Murphy 1991; Odden 1991).

Disappointment with pedagogical and curricular reform efforts has increased the attention given to choice-based reforms. Yet we know little
about what teachers think about education reforms, whether they be traditional changes or more drastic efforts. In this chapter, we will examine
the views toward various reforms from three groups of teachers: Arizona
charter school teachers, Arizona district school teachers, and Nevada district school teachers.

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